Vital Farms, Inc.
For the period ended Jun 10, 2026. Filed Apr 27, 2026.
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Jun 10, 2026 · Filed Apr 27, 2026
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Contents
Components / Elements of Compensation Program
To achieve our compensation objectives, we historically have provided our executive officers, including our NEOs, with a compensation package consisting of the following elements:
| ELEMENT OF COMPENSATION | OBJECTIVES |
|---|---|
| Base Salary (fixed cash) | • Provides financial stability and security through a fixed amount of cash for performing job responsibilities |
| Annual Performance-Based Cash Incentives (at-risk cash) | • Motivates and rewards executives for attaining pre-defined financial performance goals that are key drivers of our annual operating plan |
| Long Term Equity Incentives (at-risk equity) | • Motivates and rewards executives for Company financial performance and stock price growth, aligning executives’ interests with those of stockholders • Attracts highly qualified executives and encourages their continued employment and performance over a longer time horizon |
We do not have any formal policies for allocating compensation among base salary, performance-based cash incentives and long-term equity grants, short-term and long-term compensation or among cash andnon-cash compensation. Instead, our Compensation Committee uses its judgment to establish a total compensation program for each NEO that is a mix of current, short-term incentive and long-term incentive compensation, and cash andnon-cash compensation, that it believes appropriate to achieve the goals of our executive compensation program and our corporate objectives. However, a significant portion of the NEOs’ total target compensation is comprised of performance-based bonus opportunities and long-term equity awards, in order to align the executive officers’ incentives with the interests of our stockholders and our stated corporate goals.
| 50 | 2026 Proxy Statement |
Base Salary
Base salaries for our NEOs are set annually by our Compensation Committee. Base salary is informed by peer group data, and the Compensation Committee generally targets base salary within a competitive range of the median for equivalent officer positions within our peer group.
The Compensation Committee considers annually (or upon a material change in an officer’s position or responsibilities) whether any changes should be made to the base salaries of our executive officers. We do not provide formulaic or guaranteed base salary increases; instead, the Compensation Committee considers factors that include Company and individual performance, national salary increase levels, talent development and retention, peer group competitiveness, internal pay equity and (with respect to NEOs other than the CEO) the recommendation of the CEO.
In 2025, the Compensation Committee reviewed the base salaries of our NEOs and approved increases to base salaries in amounts ranging from approximately 3.4% to 7.5% for each of our NEOs. Based on its subjective judgement, our Compensation Committee determined these increases were appropriate in light of each executive’s individual performance and as acost-of-living adjustment informed by competitive market data provided by FW Cook.
For fiscal 2025, our NEO base salaries were as follows:
| NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER | 2024 BASE SALARY ($) | 2025 BASE SALARY ($) | PERCENTAGE INCREASE (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russell Diez-Canseco | 725,000 | 750,000 | 3.4 |
| Thilo Wrede | 430,000 | 455,000 | 5.8 |
| Peter Pappas | 400,000 | 430,000 | 7.5 |
| Joanne Bal | 400,000 | 416,000 | 4.0 |
| Joseph Holland | 400,000 | 416,000 | 4.0 |
The 7.5% increase to Mr. Pappas’ base salary in 2025 was driven in part by the increased responsibilities undertaken by Mr. Pappas in connection with being named President of the Company’s egg business unit, in addition to his existing role as Chief Sales Officer.
Annual Performance-Based Cash Incentives
Each of our NEOs participates in our annual performance-based incentive program. Each year, the Compensation Committee establishes for each NEO an incentive program target, expressed as a percentage of the NEO’s base salary. The incentive program targets are based on peer group data and the role and responsibilities of the individual NEO. The Compensation Committee also determines the relevant financial performance metrics used to determine whether the annual incentives have been earned.
For fiscal 2025, our NEO annual incentive program targets were as follows:
| NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER | 2025 BASE SALARY ($) | 2025 TARGET (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Russell Diez-Canseco | 750,000 | 100 |
| Thilo Wrede | 455,000 | 60 |
| Peter Pappas | 430,000 | 60 |
| Joanne Bal | 416,000 | 60 |
| Joseph Holland | 416,000 | 60 |
| 2026 Proxy Statement | 51 |
The fiscal 2025 annual incentive program was based on achievement of established net revenue and Adjusted EBITDA targets for the full fiscal year. The targets were the result of a goal-setting process that involved the Company’s management team and Compensation Committee and reflected the Company’s expectations for continued growth. The Compensation Committee approved for fiscal 2025 a net revenue target of $784.5 million and an Adjusted EBITDA target of $113.4 million.
The Compensation Committee also approved an incentive payout mechanism based on these targets. In addition to establishing net revenue and Adjusted EBITDA targets, the Compensation Committee also established threshold and maximum achievement levels for each metric. The tables below further set forth the payment methodology upon achievement or failure to achieve each of the net revenue and Adjusted EBITDA targets:
Payment Methodology – Net Revenue Metric (50%)
| Percent of net revenue target achieved | <90% | 90% | 90%-100% | 100%-115% | >115% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payout of the portion of incentive based on net revenue metric | 0% payout | 50% payout | 50% - 100% payout, based on straight line interpolation | 100% - 200% payout, based on straight line interpolation | 200% payout |
Payment Methodology – Adjusted EBITDA Metric (50%)
| Percent of adjusted EBITDA target achieved | <85% | 85% | 85%-100% | 100%-120% | >120% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payout of the portion of incentive based on Adjusted EBITDA metric | 0% payout | 25% payout | 25% - 100% payout, based on straight line interpolation | 100% - 200% payout, based on straight line interpolation | 200% payout |
Based on the Company’s actual results for fiscal year 2025, the Compensation Committee determined that the payment methodology for the net revenue and Adjusted EBITDA portions of the annual incentive plan would be calculated as follows:
| Net Revenue Metric (50%) | |
|---|---|
| Target 2025 Net Revenue: | $784.5 million |
| Actual 2025 Net Revenue: | $759.4 million |
| Percent of Target Net Revenue Achieved: | 96.8% |
| Payout: | 84% of target with respect to Net Revenue Metric |
| Adjusted EBITDA Metric (50%) | |
| Target 2025 Adjusted EBITDA: | $113.4 million |
| Actual 2025 Adjusted EBITDA: | $114.0 million |
| Percent of Target Adjusted EBITDA Achieved: | 100.6% |
| Payout: | 103% of target with respect to Adjusted EBITDA Metric |
| Calculated Bonus Achievement Percentage = (84% * 50%) + (103% * 50%) = 93% | |
| 52 | 2026 Proxy Statement |
Based the approved achievement percentage of 93%, the Compensation Committee approved annual incentive payouts in February 2026 as follows:
| NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER | 2025 SALARY ($) | APPROVED BONUS AMOUNT ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Russell Diez-Canseco | 750,000 | 697,500 |
| Thilo Wrede | 455,000 | 253,890 |
| Peter Pappas | 430,000 | 239,940 |
| Joanne Bal | 416,000 | 232,128 |
| Joseph Holland | 416,000 | 232,128 |
Long-Term Equity Incentive Program
We provide long-term equity incentives to our executive officers through annual grants made pursuant to our 2020 Equity Incentive Plan (“2020 Plan”). Our Compensation Committee believes such grants are essential to meeting our compensation objectives of paying for performance, attracting and retaining top talent and balancing short-term and long-term interests. Equity awards under this program are granted by the Compensation Committee at the time of an executive officer’s initial hire, during our annual grant process in the first quarter of each year and at other times based on the Compensation Committee’s discretion. Our practice is to provide annual grants with a grant date of at least two business days after the date we publicly release our full fiscal year earnings for the previous fiscal year.
For fiscal year 2025, the Compensation Committee approved awards to our executives consisting of performance-vesting PSUs and time-vesting RSUs. Based on individual and Company performance, market and peer group data provided by FW Cook, and internal pay equity, each NEO is provided a targeted dollar value of equity awards, with the total dollar value allocated between PSUs and RSUs as determined by the Compensation Committee.
For fiscal year 2025, the Compensation Committee determined that equity awards made to our NEOs would consist of 50% PSUs and 50% RSUs, a mix that the Compensation Committee believes strikes the right balance between the retentive nature of RSUs and the variable, performance-based nature of PSUs. While previous years’ equity grants consisted of a mix of RSUs and stock options, for fiscal year 2025, the Compensation Committee decided to utilize PSUs in lieu of stock option grants to further reinforce our commitment to align executive pay with the Company’s performance and with the long-term financial goals deemed most important to the Company’s business.
The Compensation Committee annually considers the appropriate mix of equity awards and incorporates performance-based equity awards when it determines that important milestones should form the basis of a performance-based equity grant and that such a grant would not promote excessive risk taking that could adversely impact the Company.
PSUs: Each PSU represents a right to receive between 0% and 200% of a target number of shares of our common stock upon vesting. Subject to the applicable NEO’s continued service, PSUs granted for fiscal year 2025 will vest at the end of a performance period ending December 26, 2027 (the last day of our 2027 fiscal year) based on the achievement of financial performance metrics determined by the Compensation Committee in February 2025. We believe this vesting period helps ensure that we retain top executive talent and align the interests of our NEOs with the long-term interests of the Company and its stockholders.
Our fiscal year 2025 PSUs are tied to the achievement of net revenue (50% weighting) and Adjusted EBITDA Margin (50% weighting) performance metrics, measured based on our net revenue and Adjusted EBITDA Margin in our existing product categories for fiscal year 2027. The net revenue and Adjusted EBITDA Margin performance targets established by the Compensation Committee are intended to be challenging and are aligned with the Company’s ambitious long-term vision, reflecting the Compensation Committee’s desire to reward exceptional performance.
| 2026 Proxy Statement | 53 |
In addition to establishing net revenue and Adjusted EBITDA targets, the Compensation Committee also established threshold and maximum achievement levels for each metric. If a metric is below the established threshold, zero shares will be issued for the portion of the PSUs attributable to that metric. If a metric is above the established maximum, two shares will be issued for each of the PSUs attributable to that metric. The payout calculation for our fiscal year 2025 PSUs is summarized below:
| NET REVENUE ACHIEVEMENT IN FY2027 | BELOW THRESHOLD | AT THRESHOLD | AT TARGET | AT OR ABOVEMAXIMUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vesting of the portion of PSUs basedon Net Revenue Metric | 0% | 50% | 100% | 200% |
| ADJUSTED EBITDA MARGIN ACHIEVEMENT IN FY2027 | BELOW THRESHOLD | AT THRESHOLD | AT TARGET | AT OR ABOVEMAXIMUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vesting of the portion of PSUs basedon Adjusted EBITDA Margin Metric | 0% | 50% | 100% | 200% |
For amounts between the threshold and maximum, shares will be awarded based on straight line interpolation. We believe disclosing specific targets while the performance period is ongoing could cause competitive harm. However, such targets will be disclosed in 2028 following the determination of achievement of the financial performance metrics by the Compensation Committee.
As soon as practicable following the end of the 2027 fiscal year, the Compensation Committee will determine the achievement of each of the net revenue and Adjusted EBITDA Margin goals and will make a final determination of the PSUs that will vest and number of shares of our common stock that will be issued.
RSUs: Each RSU represents the right to receive one share of our common stock upon vesting. Subject to the applicable NEO’s continued service, our fiscal year 2025 RSUs will vest in three substantially equal annual installments beginning on the first anniversary of the grant date. We believe that a three-year vesting schedule for RSUs is appropriate for the retention of talent and strikes a balance between short-term and long-term incentives, in line with our overall compensation strategy.
RSU awards encourage retention through vesting over the recipient’s continued employment with us, cover fewer shares than stock options, minimize dilution to stockholders, are straightforward and understandable to our crew members, and are the predominant type of equity award utilized by the peer companies with whom we compete for talent.
Based on individual and Company performance, market and peer group data provided by FW Cook, and internal pay equity, each NEO is provided a targeted dollar value of equity awards, with the total dollar value allocated between PSUs and RSUs as determined by the Compensation Committee.
A summary of the equity awards granted to our NEOs for fiscal year 2025 is:
| NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER | RSUS GRANTED | PSUS GRANTED |
|---|---|---|
| Russell Diez-Canseco | 34,073 | 34,072 |
| Thilo Wrede | 14,659 | 14,659 |
| Peter Pappas | 10,301 | 10,301 |
| Joanne Bal | 7,924 | 7,923 |
| Joseph Holland | 7,924 | 7,923 |
| 54 | 2026 Proxy Statement |
Health and Welfare and Retirement Benefits; Perquisites
All of our current NEOs are eligible to participate in our employee benefit plans, including our medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance plans, in each case on the same basis as all of our other employees.
Perquisites
Other than a monthly automobile allowance provided to Mr. Diez-Canseco and Mr. Pappas, we generally do not provide perquisites or personal benefits to our NEOs. We do not view perquisites as a significant component of our overall compensation strategy, such that perquisites are not generally provided, except in situations where it is appropriate to assist an executive in the performance of duties or for recruitment and retention purposes on acase-by-case basis.
401(k) Plan
Our NEOs are eligible to participate in a defined contribution retirement plan that provides eligible U.S. employees with an opportunity to save for retirement on a tax advantaged basis. Eligible employees may defer eligible compensation on apre-tax orafter-tax (Roth) basis, up to the statutorily prescribed annual limits on contributions under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). Contributions are allocated to each participant’s individual account and are then invested in selected investment alternatives according to the participants’ directions. We currently make matching contributions into the 401(k) plan on behalf of participants equal to 100% on participant contributions up to 3% of their compensation. Participants are immediately and fully vested on all contributions. The 401(k) plan is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code with the 401(k) plan’s related trust intended to be tax exempt under Section 501(a) of the Code. As atax-qualified retirement plan, contributions to the 401(k) plan (except for Roth contributions) and earnings on those contributions are not taxable to the employees until distributed from the 401(k) plan. Our Board may elect to adopt qualified or nonqualified benefit plans in the future, if it determines that doing so is in our best interests.
Employment Arrangements with NEOs
We have entered into offer letters or employment agreements with each of our NEOs. These agreements provide for the NEO’s initial base salary, reflecting the scope of such NEO’s anticipated responsibilities and the individual experience they bring to us. The employment of each of our NEOs is “at will” and may be terminated at any time. In addition, each of our NEOs has executed a form of our standard proprietary information and inventions agreement. For additional information about our employment arrangements with NEOs, please see the section titled “Executive Officer and Director Compensation—Employment Arrangements” below.
Severance and Change of Control Benefits
Regardless of the manner in which a NEO’s service terminates, each NEO is entitled to receive amounts earned during the term of service, including unpaid salary. Pursuant to our employment agreement with Mr. Diez-Canseco and our Change in Control Severance Plan (the “Severance Plan”) for all other NEOs, our NEOs are entitled to certain severance benefits upon an involuntary termination without cause (and not due to death or disability) or upon a resignation for good reason, either alone or immediately before or within 12 months following a change in control of our Company, subject to specific requirements, including signing and not revoking a separation agreement and release of claims. For Mr. Diez-Canseco cause, change in control, disability and good reason are defined in his employment agreement and such terms are defined for our other executive officers in our Severance Plan.
The Compensation Committee believes that these severance benefits are necessary to provide stability among our NEOs, to focus our NEOs on our business operations, and to encourage continued attention and dedication to duties without distractions in connection with a potential change in control transaction or period of uncertainty.
For a detailed description of the severance provisions contained in Mr. Diez-Canseco’s employment agreement and the Severance Plan, see “Executive Officer and Director Compensation—Employment Arrangements” and “Executive Officer and Director Compensation—Potential Payments upon Termination or Change of Control” below.
| 2026 Proxy Statement | 55 |
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